County Clerk Wants Part-Time Worker Moved to Full Time

Franklin County Clerk Debbie Door has asked the county commission to allow her to make one of her part-time employees a full-time worker.

Door said she needs the employee, who works in the election office, bumped up to full-time status to help carry the heavy workload.

She said it is unclear how much it may cost to add another 10 1/2 hours a week to the employee’s pay because health insurance and other benefits would have to be factored into the cost. The employee is working 27 hours a week now.

County commissioners say they are operating under tight financial constraints this year and are trying to give employee raises. The last time an across-the-board raise was given to county employees was in 2008.

“Everybody would like to have a raise,” Door said.

Presiding Commissioner John Griesheimer said the county commission will do the best it can to accommodate Door’s request to make the employee full time.

The county commission has been individually meeting with county departments on their budgets for the past two weeks. The new budget will take effect Jan. 1.

Door noted that next year will be a busy election year with at least three elections.

But she realizes she may have to make do with the four full-time and one part-time employee she has in her election division. She said she did not get a clear idea of whether her request would be granted.

The commissioners need to look at the estimated revenue for next year and see if there is money for it, Door noted.

The employee is needed for more hours to help maintain records in the election office, Door said, adding that the county has 68,000 registered voters. Of those, about 60,000 are active while the other 8,000 are considered inactive because they have moved or never voted.

Cleaning up the voter rolls to remove deceased or ineligible voters, such as felons, is a constant job, Door said.

There may be a voter canvass early next year in which new registration cards are mailed, she said.

“It’s a never-ending job,” Door said.

In her budget proposal she has factored in a 5 percent raise for the 11 employees between her elections division and administrative side.

Elected officials cannot receive a raise, other than cost of living adjustment, while they are in the middle of a term.

If the employee is not advanced to full-time status, Door said it could mean paying overtime when the office gets busy with elections.